Lifting weights helps shed off pounds, but it keeps the weight off too. You burn calories during strength training, and your body continues to burn calories even after. More calories are used to make and maintain muscle than fat, and strength training can boost your metabolism by 15%.

Lifting weights can even can help strengthen your bones. By putting the stress on your bones, you build up the bone density, ultimately preventing osteoporosis and other related bone diseases.

Strength training is also called resistance training because it involves firming up and toning your muscles by contracting them against a resisting force. Your balance and coordination will improve, as will your posture. More significantly, if you have poor flexibility and balance, strength training can reduce your risk of falling by as much as 40%, a vital benefit, particularly as you get older.

Strength training will even elevate your level of endorphins which will make you feel great. It is also a

Eat a healthy breakfast with some lean protein- maybe an egg white and veggie omelet and some fruit.

Skip the bread, it’s just empty calories.

Add lower calorie veggies to your plate. Turnips are a good choice at 51 calories per cup with potatoes ringing in at 214. Check with the host that they are not smothered with butter. Green beans have 44 calories per cup, much better than the casserole which has 341 calories and 22 grams of fat.

Avoid soda and alcoholic beverages. Instead have water or an herbal tea, maybe apple or pumpkin spice. Sweeten with a little honey or stevia. For a lower calories alcoholic beverage, try a white wine spritzer. It has about 96 calories. Add 4 oz. wine and 2 oz. club soda and a lemon for garnish.

For dessert, just have a little.

Your Plan for Friday: Kick up your cardio today! Go for a long run, bike ride or walk. Enjoy 3 servings of fruit today. Apples, berries and grapefruit are good choices.

Have a large green salad for one meal today, 2 meals would be better. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water.

Sure, summer isn’t for a while yet, but that isn’t an excuse not get into shape! To target these tricky-to-hit muscles (thighs and the surrounding ones,) beginners should do each of the standing exercises 15 to 20 times; the intermediate and advanced 25 to 30 times. This routine has been created by Matthew Hurst, who is the owner of Training Zone.

Wide-Stance Squat

(A) Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock.
(B) Slowly lower for two counts into a squat position. Hold the squat for one count, then straighten your legs for two counts to go back to the starting position.

First-Position Plié Squat

Begin with heels touching and toes slightly turned out. (A) Keeping heels together, rise up onto your toes. (Hold on to a wall if you feel wobbly, but maintain posture.)
(B) Bend your knees into a half squat for two counts, then come back up in two counts, keeping heels together.

Squat with Ball

(A) Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes pointed straight ahead. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your legs just above the knees.
(B) Squeezing your inner thighs to keep the ball steady, lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one, then return to standing for two counts.

Wide-Stance Arm Swing

(A) Place your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart and point toes to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. Grasp a dumbbell (three to five pounds for beginners, 8 to 12 for more advanced) vertically in front of your stomach.

(B) With arms straight, lift the weight to shoulder height as you lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one count, then slowly lower the weight and return to standing for two counts.

Inner-Thigh Press with Rubber Ball

Lying on your back on a mat, bend your knees so that the soles of your feet are flat on the floor. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your knees. Contract your inner thighs to squeeze the ball for 30 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds, then repeat the cycle four more times.

Yoga is a Hindu spiritual discipline which includes breath control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures. “Yoga” means united, because you are uniting your mind, body, and breathe. Yoga is practiced to improve overall fitness and to reduce stress.

Yoga improves your overall health by relieving tension in the muscles. Your back, neck, and shoulders tend to carry the most tension throughout the day. Through yoga, you will notice improvements in your muscle flexibility. Maybe you couldn’t touch your toes in the beginning; but if you stick with yoga, you will notice a gradual loosening of the muscles.

Yoga also helps perfect your posture. Poor posture can lead to back, neck, and joint problems later in life. As you slump, your body may recompense by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back which cause pain and degenerative arthritis of the spine.

With its series of postures and controlled-breathing exercises, yoga is a popular stress reliever. The left prefrontal cortex shows a heightened activity in meditators, which correlates with greater levels of happiness. It brings together physical and mental disciplines to achieve a peacefulness of body, helping you relax and manage your stress and anxiety.

Eating a little good fat (like the monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, avocado and nuts) with your vegetables appears to help your body absorb protective phytochemicals, like lycopene from tomatoes and lutein from dark green vegetables.

So grab some of these healthy fats, add greens and tomatoes to enjoy a nice change. You should never get bored with salads either because there are so many options and recipes out there as well!